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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 ☆
i was rly excited abt this bc a royal arranged marriage?? set in a fictional countries next to the philippines??? sounded like a book of my dreams!!
but it was so dreadful.
the writing is just weak. there's way too much telling over showing, it's doing that thing i hate where a chapter is told from person a's pov & suddenly gives us inside on person b's feelings, the characters - maybe apart from the main two but not really - r more like one-dimensional caricatures than anything else.
and the fake dating i was looking forward to??? they started having sex just a few weeks into the thing & umm.... that's so not the point of this trope? where was the angst???
i was rly excited abt this bc a royal arranged marriage?? set in a fictional countries next to the philippines??? sounded like a book of my dreams!!
but it was so dreadful.
the writing is just weak. there's way too much telling over showing, it's doing that thing i hate where a chapter is told from person a's pov & suddenly gives us inside on person b's feelings, the characters - maybe apart from the main two but not really - r more like one-dimensional caricatures than anything else.
and the fake dating i was looking forward to??? they started having sex just a few weeks into the thing & umm.... that's so not the point of this trope? where was the angst???
Carla de Guzman does an excellent job of creating a fun, quick story and I cannot wait for more from her! Check out the full review on my blog!
I had been expecting an enthralling modern fairytale romance with heavy political themes (I mean, this is set in a fictional monarchy with Filipino characters as royalty), but this novella gives more attention to the public relations side of being a public figure instead of the actual governing side of the equation. Which is still interesting but it definitely threw me off a little.
Plus, Nina was PR disaster personified, and while I admired her bravery and headstrong personality, I just didn't love her character as much as I would have liked to. The chemistry she has with Prince Felipe is undeniable, though!
I liked this, but compared to Carla de Guzman's latest books, it's obvious that this book is one of the first books she's ever published. The writing is a little abrupt and rushed in some places, the character development isn't as precise, and the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, I loved the premise of a fake dating trope between two Filipino royals, and ultimately, Prince Felipe is a buttery cinnamon roll I will adore for the rest of my life.
Plus, Nina was PR disaster personified, and while I admired her bravery and headstrong personality, I just didn't love her character as much as I would have liked to. The chemistry she has with Prince Felipe is undeniable, though!
I liked this, but compared to Carla de Guzman's latest books, it's obvious that this book is one of the first books she's ever published. The writing is a little abrupt and rushed in some places, the character development isn't as precise, and the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, I loved the premise of a fake dating trope between two Filipino royals, and ultimately, Prince Felipe is a buttery cinnamon roll I will adore for the rest of my life.
"All I wanted to do was write a contemporary royal romance with Asian characters and faces,"
You do not understand how much this meant for me, an Asian bookworm, who rarely get to see some Asian representation in books for years. It especially made me excited that this was set in a royal alternate universe in the Philippines- you best expect that the moment I heard of this book, I did everything in my power to get it in my shelves. And I did, and I read it and it did not live up to my hopes and expectations.
While I adore the premise of this story- the way this story unraveled itself before my very eyes, it was pretty much meh. I honestly feel so sad because I know this story has potential, it has this thing in it to bloom into something great, whether it truly bloomed or didn't I am not so sure. The cookie-cutter characters certainly didn't help me like the story either. Don't get me wrong, I liked a few of Nina's snarky and sassy comebacks here, and Felipe is a sweetheart, and while Tito Ernie is such a freaking mood- these characters, all of them- none of them really truly fleshed out.
And maybe it's because this was short, but things escalated way too quickly for me. Like, a lot of things happened here for plot convenience and short-lived excitement, not really containing much substance.
Another thing I never really appreciated was the writing. To each their own but when the author doesn't trust me to understand what's going on and insists on telling rather than relying on her writing and letting the story unfold itself, I don't trust the author too. De Guzman proceeds to describe things in a dull manner and immediately proceeds to back it up with what her intent was instead of letting me understand it on my own. I don't like getting told what certain dialogues and monologues meant. I didn't like getting spoon-fed why the metaphors are the way they are.
The romance between Nina and Felipe were adorable, I'll give the author that- but whether or not there is substance to their romance- nah-uh.
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Short stories don't necessarily need to feel short. In this case, everything felt rushed and stunted the story. The pacing was off and there were things that just missed the mark.
Cute!
This story was a lot of fun! I love this scandalous princess and her romance! I'd love to see more of them.
This story was a lot of fun! I love this scandalous princess and her romance! I'd love to see more of them.
The Queen's Game was such a quick read that if I haven't had any other commitments, I would've finished it in one sitting. I really loved the premise of the story, Filipino Royalties plus fake dating. It sounds like the perfect disaster romance I would love. Note that the disaster in the context is the whole fake-dating-do-not-fall-in-love-with-me trope, which I really love because it's a real treat to see the characters flirt with each other while trying hard not to fall, but still they end up falling for each other. And in this case, they did fall for each other... hard.
It's my first time to read a book that features Filipino royalty. Monarchy isn't a thing here but I'm sure there's a lot of us that are fascinated with royal families. Nina, the main character, sort of reminded me of Princess Mia from The Princess Diaries. She's rebellious and there were a lot of scandals surrounding her but she proved herself to be a great ruler, which I think Nina will grow to be one. Felipe was just too adorable, I loved the chapters in his POV because it showed a lot about him. I really can't explain much because I'm afraid it might get too spoilery, all I can say is that Nina and Felipe had the perfect chemistry. Albeit seeing the polarities in Nina and Felipe, I wish I saw more depth in terms of their personalities, and the others included. Then again, the length of the novel was shorter than I expected.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, especially to readers who want to see how monarchy mixes with our culture. Carla De Guzman's writing style keeps getting better and this book is one you'll never want to miss!
It's my first time to read a book that features Filipino royalty. Monarchy isn't a thing here but I'm sure there's a lot of us that are fascinated with royal families. Nina, the main character, sort of reminded me of Princess Mia from The Princess Diaries. She's rebellious and there were a lot of scandals surrounding her but she proved herself to be a great ruler, which I think Nina will grow to be one. Felipe was just too adorable, I loved the chapters in his POV because it showed a lot about him. I really can't explain much because I'm afraid it might get too spoilery, all I can say is that Nina and Felipe had the perfect chemistry. Albeit seeing the polarities in Nina and Felipe, I wish I saw more depth in terms of their personalities, and the others included. Then again, the length of the novel was shorter than I expected.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, especially to readers who want to see how monarchy mixes with our culture. Carla De Guzman's writing style keeps getting better and this book is one you'll never want to miss!